Chicago, Illinois – The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers today announced a series of actions to protect the environment, promote sustainable economic growth, improve transportation and boost international trade.   

“I’m proud of the bold agenda we’ve put forth to grow our economies while protecting the Great Lakes watershed that connects all of us,” said Gov. Evers, Chair of the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers. “By working together to transition to cleaner energy and address harmful contaminants in our water, we can connect the dots on our economic recovery and ensure we’re all moving toward a more equitable and sustainable future.”

“We welcome the opportunity to work with our many partners from across the region to restore and protect our Great Lakes now and for future generations,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Vice Chair of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers. “These policies will help our region advance by uniting behind a project to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, supporting ongoing restoration work at our Areas of Concern, and promoting economic development projects.” 

“The Great Lakes serve as an extraordinary environmental and economic treasure for the entire region,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “It is our duty to protect and restore this critical resource, and I am committed to continue to advance this work in coordination with our partners across the region for the benefit of all New Yorkers and the nation.” 

Today’s announcements include a series of  actions to grow the region’s US$6 trillion economy and protect the world’s greatest freshwater system:

• Committing to partner in support of a federally funded barrier against invasive carp threatening to enter the Great Lakes watershed at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois.
• Working with one another and with federal partners to accelerate progress in remediating legacy toxic hot spots.  The Governors and Premiers celebrated the recent de-listing of the Ashtabula, Ohio, Area of Concern and committed to continue to clean up the region’s other highly contaminated sites.
• Adopting a set of commitments to ensure a just transition toward a cleaner energy future.   
• Launching a Five-Year Action Plan and a green shipping strategy to promote a smart and green regional maritime system.
• Harnessing the power of impact investing through the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform.  The Platform showcases more than 30 projects representing nearly US$4 billion of investment aiming to create both a financial return for investors and an environmental improvement for the region.
• Developing innovative tools to prevent high-risk invasive species from harming the region.  The Governors and Premiers announced the development of a new “pay for success” funding model developed with Quantified Ventures and the Invasive Species Centre.  Separately, they announced a partnership with the Iceland Ocean Cluster which is developing new strategies against invasive carp.(Timeout photo of Chicago)